A Chicken in Every Pot?

Do Americans have a "Chicken in Every Pot"? This phrase with the addition of "and a car in every garage" has been attributed to Herbert Hoover's 1928 Presidential campaign. While it was used in the campaign, history says Hoover never actually said that - but he did urge voters to support him as a vote for prosperity. The original promise can be traced to Henry IV of France (1553-1610). He stated "I want there to be no peasant in my realm so poor that he will not have a chicken in his pot every Sunday". It's hard to imagine that scarcity when we see the abundance of food available in today's U.S. grocery stores! Sometimes we forget how fortune we are when we're 'just serving chicken'.

This recipe for Baked Chicken Parmesan has become one of our favorites and does make chicken a special meal. It is not only easier than the traditional preparation on the range top, but it is healthier by being baked instead of fried. It is out of season for basil in my garden, so I used 2 teaspoons of dried basil and mixed it with the other seasonings and oil. Two pounds of chicken makes several servings, and it does reheat well. IF you reheat it in the oven cover with foil so the cheese doesn't overbrown and fuse together. Or reheat in the microwave. It's just as tasty a couple of days later as when first served!

Easy Chicken Parmesan Bake

Ingredients:

5-oz package of garlic croutons

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 cloves garlic (minced)

½ teaspoon dried oregano

2 pounds chicken tenders (or breasts cut into strips)

5-6 fresh basil leaves (chiffonade) 

2 cups tomato sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

salt and ground black pepper

Instructions:

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place garlic croutons in a plastic bag and pound with a meat pounder or heavy object until they are crushed into smaller pieces (not tiny breadcrumbs). Set aside.

2.     In a 9 x 13-inch glass baking dish, drizzle olive oil. Add chicken, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir well to coat the chicken pieces with the oil and spices. Spread the fresh basil on top.

3.     Pour tomato sauce on top of the chicken, distributing evenly. Slide into a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove (leave oven on).

4.     Spread half of the mozzarella and Parmesan evenly over the sauce. Next sprinkle all of the crushed croutons onto the sauce. Finish with a sprinkling of the remainder of the two cheeses.

5.     Return the pan to the oven for another 25 – 30 minutes. The casserole is done when all cheeses are well melted. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting into squares or spooning onto plates.